United States Men's Basketball jersey worn by Michael Jordan as a member of the legendary "Dream Team" that captured the Gold Medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain. Jordan has inscribed the jersey in black Sharpie (grading "8/9") on the right breast "Best Wishes/Michael Jordan." Graded a perfect A10 by MEARS. This is undoubtedly one of the finest Michael Jordan signed game-worn jerseys in existence, both with regard to its extraordinary historical significance and ideal provenance. Our consignor purchased this jersey in September 1992 at a special gala charity auction conducted by The Michael Jordan Foundation and it is accompanied by a copy of the original auction invoice, which describes the jersey as a "Michael Jordan autographed Dream Team Jersey. Official game-worn jersey from the 1992 Summer Olympics." The price paid was a then-staggering $17,500 (which, as noted, was for charity with this jersey provided personally by Jordan and all proceeds benefitting The Michael Jordan Foundation).

The jersey has remained in our consignor's possession as a souvenir of the event since the time of its original purchase. This is only the third Michael Jordan 1992 Olympics game-worn "Dream Team" jersey we have ever seen. A second example, which was also purchased directly at auction from The Michael Jordan Foundation in 1995, appeared as Lot 1413 in Robert Edward Auctions' May 2007 sale, where it realized a final sales price of $38,187.50. (The third example was purchased at a Ronald McDonald charity auction in 1999.) It should be noted that the other two jerseys were purchased at auction in 1995 and 1999, respectively, whereas the offered example was purchased in September 1992 (very shortly after the Olympics), thereby making it the first Jordan game-worn Olympics jersey released by The Michael Jordan Foundation.

The white mesh jersey is lettered "USA Basketball" on the front and "Jordan" on the reverse. The number "9" appears on both the front and reverse. All letters and numbers have been applied by means of a heat-transfer process. The design of the front lettering is done in red and navy blue, while the name on the reverse is in solid red. All numerals are appliquéd in two-tone red on navy blue. A "Champion 46" label is situated on the left front tail, adjacent to which is a special Champion "USA Basketball" label that reads "Designed and Tailored Exclusively for 1992 Summer Olympic Games." An interior tag, located along the left side seam, denotes a "3 inch Extra Body Length." MEARS research indicates that this style jersey was worn by the 1992 Men's Olympic Basketball Team both in games against Argentina, Lithuania, and Canada, and in the Gold Medal game against Croatia. The jersey is all original, with no alterations, and displays light wear throughout. A light stain is evident on the front, as is a small area of adhesive residue (from a former mounting of the jersey). Graded A10 by MEARS.

The 1992 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team, nicknamed "The Dream Team," is considered by many to be the greatest team ever assembled, in any sport. In addition to Jordan, who is universally regarded as the finest player ever to set foot on the hardwood, the team's roster also boasted Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin, Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, and collegiate standout Christian Laettner. Never before, or since, has such an assemblage of basketball talent been brought together as a single unit and the formation of the team at the time became something of a cultural phenomenon. Perhaps coach Chuck Daly described the atmosphere surrounding the team best: "It was like Elvis and the Beatles put together. Traveling with the Dream Team was like traveling with twelve rock stars. That's all I can compare it to." The team, of course, dominated play during the Olympics, easily winning the Gold Medal while defeating their opponents by an average margin of forty-four points. Today, the success of the Dream Team is often credited with having had a drastic impact on the increasing popularity of basketball worldwide. Very few pro jerseys can compare with the offered garment in terms of its historical significance or cultural impact. It is truly a museum-quality piece that transcends the world of sport. Few basketball jerseys would be as worthy of display at the Basketball Hall of Fame or the Smithsonian Institute. LOA from Troy Kinunen/MEARS and James Spence/JSA. Reserve $5,000. Estimate (open). SOLD FOR $53,325

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